The Alhambra of Granada

The Alhambra of Granada depicts a rich boundless history. The eminence of its beauty influenced many great authors like Washington Irving, Paulo Coelho, Salman Rushdie, Philippa Gregory and many others to write novels set in The Alhambra. Many musicians and composers wrote songs about its magnificence. And numerous movies were filmed in its grandeur walls.

Th Alhambra (al-qala’a al-hamra), an Arabic name which means ''the red castle'', was originally built as a fortress in the 9th century. Many years later, the fortress was abandoned and left to crumble. However, in the mid-11th century, a Nasrid ruler named Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar restored the old fortress by adding the palace and walls. His successors proceeded with the reconstruction but it was not until the 13th century The Alhambra became a royal residence. Sultan Yusuf I of Granada constructed the Gate of Justice, Chamber of the Ambassadors (Throne Room), The Baths of Comares and some of the Towers. His son Muhammed V, completed the embellishment of the Royal Palace and added the Court of the Lions.

In 1481, the Emirate of Granada reclaimed the Castillian town, Zahara de la Sierra and this regain gave the Castillians the pretense to invade Granada. The last Nasrid ruler of Granada, Muhammad XII was convened by the Catholic Monarch, King Ferdinand II of Argon and Queen Isabella of Castille to surrender Granada. The Muslim ruler capitulated the Emirate of Granada in 1492 without The Alhambra of being attacked and destroyed by the Castillians. After the Christian conquest, the Alhambra mosque was changed into a church and a convent was built. Emperor Charles V, grandson of the Catholic Monarch, replaced some of the interior of the palace.

After many centuries of being forgotten and disclaimed, The Alhambra was occupied by vagrants and robbers. The rediscovery of Alhambra in the 19th century, prompted its renovation and development. Today, Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Spain's Major Attraction.


The Alhambra of Granada
Address: Calle Real de la Alhambra, s/n, 18009 Granada, Spain
Coordinates: 37° 10′ 0″ N, 3° 35′ 24″ W
Admission: 15€

#ootd
Dress: BCBGMaxAzria
Bag: Prada
Shoes: Salvador Artesano
Accessories: Silver from Spanish Market

Malmö Opera and Music Theatre

I have always been a fan of performing arts. Back in high school, I would always audition for school plays and musicals. And what I really liked with my old school is they always have this show or presentation for the student's parents during the school's foundation day/anniversary.

Some weeks ago, we went to Malmö Opera and Music Theater to watch Dr. Zhivago. Even though the show was in Swedish, I must say it was spectacular! I was really impressed with the effects, the actions and the emotions of the performers.

Malmö Opera and Music Theater is one of Scandinavia's largest auditorium with 1508 seats. It was built in 1933 and was designed by architect Sigurd Lewerentz amd his colleagues, Erik Lallerstedt and David Helldén. Malmö Opera and Music Theater is considered a masterpiece of functionalist architecture.

For opera and musical performances, check Malmö Opera and Music Theatre.

 Malmö Opera and Music Theatre
Address: Östra Rönneholmsvägen 20, 211 47 Malmö, Sweden

#ootn
Dress: Michael Kors
Scarf: Linda Lykke of Denmark
Ankle Boots: Nine West
Bag: Mulberry
Accessories: Trollbeads (Troldekugler)

Tivoli Gardens (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Happy New Year Everyone!  So where did you spend your holidays? Was it in a tropical climate sipping margaritas or mojitos? Or did you have a great time cozying up in a winter wonderland?
If you ask me, I actually spent Christmas and New Year in a tropical country but a week before Christmas I was in Scandinavia hoping for a winter wonderland but sadly it was too early for a white winter. Anyway I will share to you my amazing experience in one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, The Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. We went to the amusement park to experience the Tivoli Christmas Market. Tivoli Gardens is astonishingly decorated with glorious Christmas decorations and colorful Christmas lights. I'm in awe of the spectacular display and everything around.

Tivoli Gardens opened on August 15, 1843 and is the second oldest amusement park in the world. Built by Georg Carstensen, Tivoli has a wide variety of attractions: buildings in the exotic style of an imaginary Orient: a theatre, band stands, restaurants and cafés, flower gardens, and mechanical amusement rides. After dark, coloured lamps illuminated the gardens. On certain evenings, specially designed fireworks could be seen reflected in Tivoli's lake. So when you are in Copenhagen, never miss the opportunity to visit The Tivoli Gardens.


Tivoli Gardens
Address: Vesterbrogade 3, 1630 København, Denmark

Coordinates: 55° 40′ 25″ N, 12° 34′ 6″ E

My Veggie Moussaka

One of the things I love doing, especially when I'm alone, is experimenting in the kitchen. And the recipe I'm going to share today is a healthy Mediterranean dish called Moussaka. Moussaka is an eggplant and potato-based dish dating back to the Ottoman Empire.

There are many versions of Moussaka but with my recipe, I'm only using vegetables. Hope you enjoy! :)

Veggie Moussaka

Ingredients:
2 Eggplants
4 Potatoes
1 Can Tomato Sauce
1 Carrot (minced)
200g Champignon Mushroom (minced)
1 Paprika (minced)
1 Onion (chopped)
2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
2 Tsp Parsley
2 Tsp Cinnamon Powder
3 Tbsp Red Wine
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Method:
1) Slice the eggplant thinly, marinate with salt.
2) Peel the potatoes, boil them until soft then slice them and set aside.
3) In a large pan with olive oil, fry the thinly sliced eggplants until they turn soft brown. Set aside
4) In the same pan, add a little more olive oil then sauté minced garlic and chopped onions until they are fragrant then add the minced mushrooms, minced carrots and minced paprika. Dash some salt and pepper. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
5) Add the can of tomato sauce, stir for 5 mins , add cinnamon powder and red wine. Then season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Bechamel Sauce:
3 Tbsp Butter
3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
2 Cups Milk
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Ounce Parmesan Cheese
2 Ounces Grated Cheddar Cheese

Method:
1) In a deep pan, turn heat to medium, melt the butter. Add milk.
2) Slowly dash flour into the pan, mixing it with the melted butter and milk.
3) Add Parmesan Cheese and Cheddar Cheese
4) Dash some salt and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Make sure it doesn't burn.

-Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees.
-In an oven safe container (like pyrex), arranged some eggplant and cover the whole container. On top of the eggplant, do the same with the potatoes, cover the container with potatoes. 
-Pour some of the vegetable tomato sauce and spread all over the container. 
-Pour the bechamel sauce all over the container covering the tomato sauce.
-Repeat doing this until they are all finished.
-Dash Parsley on top.
-Then put inside pre-heated oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Serve while hot! :)

Bodegas Salvador Poveda

For my husband's love of Spanish wine, we decided to visit the wineries in Spain during our summer holiday. We went to Monòvar, a small town in the southeastern part of Spain to see Bodegas Salvador Poveda. The winery was founded in 1918 and it's currently managed by the 3rd generation of Poveda's. SP produces high quality wine including the classic Fondillón, a favorite of many influential people including King Louis XIV of France, Ferdinand Magellan and even mentioned by Alexandre Dumas in his fictional novel The Count of Monte Cristo. Fondillón is a red wine produced in an oxidised style from overripe Monastrell grapes, and is typically semi-sweet. SP produces about 3,000,000 bottles of wine per year and the wines are mainly exported to Denmark, Holland, Germany, Sweden, France, Belgium, UK, Russia, Brazil and the USA.

Bodegas Salvador Poveda offers wine tasting to visitors and we were so lucky to have met the very accommodating Rafael Poveda, the Director of Bodegas Salvador Poveda. He offered us different varieties of wine that they're producing like Red wine, White wine and Rosé. And for the first time in my life, I actually finished a glass of nice and smooth SP White wine. Aside from the wonderful smelling and tasting of different wines, Mr. Poveda also showed us the process of making wine, from the grapes to the bottle.

Bodegas Salvador Poveda
Address: CV-830 Ctra. Monóvar – Salinas Km, 3 – 03640 Monóvar- Alicante, Spain
Coordinates: 38°28'02.6"N 0°54'16.1"W

Entrance to Bodegas Salvador Poveda

Wine Tasting! So glad to have finally found the white wine for me.

Rafael Poveda pouring Fondillón for us to try.

My turn to pour the very special style of wine, The Fondillón.

A tour to the Bodega.

With Rafael Poveda, Thank you for showing us around! :)

Dolphin Watching in Maldives

Dolphin Watching- one of the very best things to do when in Maldives. Many of the resorts offers this exciting Dolphin watching safari. And for 50USD per person, you will experience a one-of-a-kind nature trip. The tours available are either early morning or late afternoon, as thousands of Spinner dolphins appear into the atolls every morning then leaving again for the open ocean in the late afternoon.

Spinner dolphins, famous for its acrobatic displays, are the most common species in the area and they appear in their tens of thousands. These dolphins are very athletic and many of them leap out of the water as they swim; they can also gracefully flip their bodies round and round in mid-air before splashing back into the water.

My Dolphin Watching in Maldives was truly an amazing experience!